Windows Vista Beta 2: The key word is 'Beta' — Trials and tribulations with an operating system under development — On the right side of Vista's home screen is the new Windows Sidebar - with little applets the user can choose. — Gary Krakow — I've just spent the past four days living …

Ballmer: Vista Launch Could Slip Further — Consumer version of the OS is scheduled to launch in January 2007, but that could change. — The launch of the consumer version of Windows Vista, Microsoft's new operating system, could be pushed back past the stated January launch date …

Microsoft Introduces New Version of Windows Live Local — New capabilities include real-time traffic reporting, new ways to collect and share search results, tight integration with Microsoft Office Outlook and Windows Live Messenger, and geographic expansion to Canada and the U.K.

Should the Net Be Neutral? — The "net neutrality" debate has reached a fever pitch as Congress mulls legislation that would allow Internet service providers to charge Web sites for preferred delivery of digital content. — Net neutrality advocates, including Internet giants like Google and Amazon.com …

Apple, Nike exercise iPods to track workouts — NEW YORK — Apple and Nike have unveiled an iPod gizmo to put more rhythm in your run: the Nike+iPod Sports Kit, the first product coming out of a new partnership between the companies. — The wireless kit lets Nike's new Air Zoom Moire shoes …

Apple partners with Nike on iPod for runners — Nike and Apple announced a partnership targeting runners and iPod users. Tune your run is a way to use the iPod to track data captured in the soles of new Nike running shoes. … Nike+ compatible running shoes range from US$85 (Air Max Moto+ …

Web inventor warns of 'dark' net — BBC News science and technology reporter in Edinburgh — The web should remain neutral and resist attempts to fragment it into different services, web inventor Sir Tim Berners-Lee has said. — Recent attempts in the US to try to charge for different levels …

Catching up with SwapTree, Limbo and Trulia — Bite Communications hosted a get-together at a South of Market wine bar last night to introduce folks to several new companies (some are clients, some are not). We came late and had to leave early, but we had a chance to meet the founders of SwapTree, Limbo 41414 and Trulia.

OneNote 2007 and Outlook: Best Buddies — How doth OneNote 2007 love Outlook? — Let me count the ways... From the beginning of OneNote we've had a lot of requests to deepen our integration with Outlook. In 2003 we had several connection points: you could email notes directly from OneNote …

Vonage Sucker Punch — I wrote this for Om Malik's site GigaOm on May 16. SkypeOut just went free in North America. I figured it was someone at Ebay trying to kill the Vonage IPO. … Man, did I catch some heat. Almost 50 comments later, lot's of them personal, swearing that the Vonage deal …

Imagining a day without Microsoft — If the company we love to hate disappeared tomorrow, we'd be in for still more headaches — Did you ever hear the warning, "be careful what you wish for, it might come true?" Well, because Microsoft is the company most people love to hate …

Morpheus makers file suit against eBay — StreamCast Networks, the creators of the Morpheus file-sharing software, is alleging in a lawsuit that auction house eBay is profiting from peer-to-peer technology that rightfully belongs to it. — StreamCast claims in a lawsuit filed Monday …

Spam filter gobbles up phone bid for Cobb schools — There it was in the e-mail spam filter, along with offers to invigorate both your bank account and your sex life: an offer to save the Cobb County schools $250,000. But this message was for real. — School officials are blaming …

World's most expensive mobile number is 666 6666 — The world's most expensive phone number was auctioned for charity yesterday in Qatar. — The number, 666 6666, sold for 10m Qatari riyals or £1.5m. — The previous record holder was Chinese number 8888 8888, which sold for £270,000.

Associated Press partners with Technorati — Here's some big news, the 440 news outlets around the country that use the AP's news module will now include a list of the most blogged about news items of the day on their sites and display inbound links to each individual article as discovered by Technorati.

Microsoft Says New Windows Is on Schedule — Microsoft said yesterday that Vista, the much-delayed new version of its Windows operating system, was ready for its last and broadest round of testing. — Bill Gates, Microsoft's chairman, announced the release of the final test version of the program …